The Razer Blade Pro 17 is one of the first laptops out of the gate with two shiny new parts: Intel’s 9th-gen Core i7 mobile chip, with 6 cores and 12 threads of processing goodness; and Nvidia’s RTX 2080 with Max-Q. Further improvements include a trimmer overall package, narrow bezels, and connectivity to spare. Prices start at $2,499, and product will start shipping in May.

The Razer Blade Pro 17 was long overdue for a refresh, and almost everything is new—and more compact. The chassis is 25 percent smaller than the predecessor in overall volume, and about 20 percent lighter at 6 pounds, compared to 7.4 pounds for the prior model. The bezels are 6mm thin and surround the sole display option, a 1080p/144Hz non-GSync panel.

The laptop is actually slightly thicker than before, but Razer did that to maximize thermal performance and fit in a bit more connectivity. That includes five USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports—three Type-A and two Type-C; one of the latter also supports Thunderbolt 3. You also get HDMI 2.0b, Realtek 2.5Gb ethernet, and a UHS-III SD card, which Razer says is faster than the slot integrated into prior models.

Why this matters: The Razer Blade Pro 17 is catching the wave of next-gen hardware from major manufacturers. Both Intel’s 9th-gen Core mobile chips and Nvidia’s RTX mobile GPUs for gamers promise to make laptops ever-more competitive with desktops for all but the most hardcore gamers. We’ll let you know how close if we get a chance to test the new Blade Pro 17.

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